Platform shoe



Jan. 15, 1946. G. A. GLEASION PLATFORM SHOE 2 Sheets-Sheet i Filed Feb. 22, 1944 Jan. 15, 1946. G so 2,392,815

PLATFORM SHOE Filed Feb. 22, 1944 Sheets-Sheet 2,

Patented Jan. 15, 1946 Application February 22, 1944, Serial No. 523,401

Claims.

This invention consists in a new and improved shoe of the platform type and include within its pe the novel method of shoemaking herein disclosed as carried out in manufacturing the shoeof my invention.

Shoes of this type have been constructed heretofore by sewing the margin of the upper and a binding strip to the margin of an insole or sock lining, using a straight needle machine for that purpose, then inserting a last in the upper, laying a midsol or platform, and wrapping the binder strip about the edge and securing it to the bottom of the sole or platform. These shoes have not hitherto included a counter stiffener and in general have not been entirely satisfactory because the upper is flimsy and does not retain the lines imparted to it by the last. Some shoes of this type have been made with open counter portions and have thus provided little protection to the wearer and possessed even less sturdiness in structure.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a platform type of shoe fully closed,

provided with a counter stiffener and being a strong well secured structure so that it will maintain its shape in wear and generally supply the deficiencies which have heretofore impaired platform shoes.

I have discovered thatv these desirable results may be accomplished by interrupting at the shank herein shown, the counter stiffener assembly comprises a counter lining piec which is cemented to the inner face of a counter stiffener and molded with the latter to provide the usual base flange. This assembly may be inserted in the inverted shoe while the unstitched rear end of the sock lining is temporarily displaced. The lining may then be stitched to the upper thus permanently enclosing the counter stiffener in the shoe structure, The heel seat may be stiffened by a tuck inserted and fastened to the flange of the counter stiffener; 1 After properly trimming the lining, the sock lining may be restored to its normal position covering the tuck and givin an attractive appearance to the inside of the shoe. Subsequently the platform or midsole may be laid and the binding strip wrapped around its edge in the usual manner. By following these steps I succeed in producing b a convenient and economical process a platform type of shoe which is exceptionally strong, sturdy and permanent in its counter structure, so much so in fact that I may employ a wood heel of any desired design rather than the bulky wedge heel that has been heretofore a necessary feature of such shoes.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of the assembled upper, binding strip and sock lining,

Fig, 2 is a similar view of the counter stiffener assembly,

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the shoe in inverted position with the counter assembly in place,

Fig. 4 is a corresponding view showing the inside of the rear end of the shoe,

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of the finished shoe, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view illustrating the employment of a binding strip designed to cover not only the platform but th heel itself.

The upper i0 is first cut to exact size-without lasting allowance. Together with a binding strip I I it is sewn to the marginal edge of a sock lining 12 by a line of stitching [3 which is formed conveniently by any straight needle machine. This sewing operation is carried out as usual except that it does not extend around the, heel seat but terminates on both sides of the sock lining approximately at the breast line. It will therefore be seen that at this stage the rear end of the shoe is open in its bottom although the upper is otherwise complete and closed by the back seam.

I may employ a single binding strip if desired but as herein shown I prefer to make two sections of the binding strip, securing to the upper alone a rear binding strip M and then securing to the upper I0 and sock lining l2 the front platform binding strip H as a separate piece. The binding strip I! is clearly shown as secured by the line of stitching i3 and this stitching is continued to attach the rear binding strip i l to the upper but not to include the sock lining. How'- ever, the sequence of these attaching steps is of secondary importance only and they may be carried out in any convenient order.

A counter stiffener l5 of the usual type is now cemented to a lining piece it which is shaped to fill the counter portion of the shoe but overlaps the stiffener l5 by a considerable margin which is to be subsequently trimmed off. The stiffener I 5 and lining piece I 6 are now molded as one piece into conventional counter shape and thus provided with the usual inturned base flange ll;

The next step of the process consists in inserting the counter stiffener assembly in the unlasted upper and this may be conveniently done with the shoe in inverted position as suggested in Fig. 3. The counter stiffener is thus located against the inner face of the upper with the lining piece It exposed inside the shoe. Meanwhile the unsecured rear end of the sock lining I2 is turned forwardly so that it will not interfere with the step of inserting the molded and lined stiffener. The latter is now permanently secured in theshoe by a line of stitching it which extends along the top edge of the upper and down on each side in advance of the forward edges of the stiffener. At the same time the surplus margin of the lining is is trimmed flush with the top edge of the up r and close to the stitch line It at the sides of the counter. Having secured the molded and lined counter stiffener within the upper, a tuck l of relatively stiff fibre is now inserted within or beneath the molded flange ll of the counter stiffener and secured in position by staples l9 driven from outside the shoe through the counter flange and the flanged portion of the lining i6 and clenched on the inner'surface of the tuck. The counter has been cemented even with the bottom of the back of the upper so that the molded stiffener is now accurately and permanently located in its proper position in the shoe. During the staplingoperation the sock lining I2 is turned or folded downwardly as suggested in Fig. 4 and at the conclusion of the stapling operation this is folded back into its position in the heel seat of the shoe and cemented above the tuck 8. All the shoe-making steps described up to this point have been carried out oi! the last.

The shoe is now completed by inserting a last, placing a midsole or platform upon the bottom of the sock lining, the tuck and the molded flange of the counter stifiener and lining, and then folding the binding strip ll downwardly, wrapping it about the edge of the platform and cementing its margin to the lower face thereof. Similarly the rear binding strip H is folded and wrapped about the rear portion of the platform. A wedge heel 20 isnow cemented in place and finally a thin outsole 2l-of leather or composition is secured in place beneath the heel 2|! and the wrapped platform in the forepart of the shoe.

In the modified construction illustrated in Fig. 6, a rear binding strip 22 is provided of suflicient width to include the wedge heel. Instead of including merely the platform, the binding strip 22 may include both the platform and the wedge heel, its margin being folded under the flat face of the heel and cemented in position.

It will be understood that by the process above described I have provided a. shoeof the platform type having a closed rear end and all the strength and stiffness throughout its counter portion and heel seat that are usually found in shoes of much more expensive construction. This portion of the shoe is so strong and sturdy that if desired I may substitute a wood heel for the wedge heel herein shown, and in that case the wood heel would be attached by nails driven from inside the shoe through the tuck with theirheads concealed by the sock lining.

It will be noted that the sequence of operations is novel. For example, I believe that heretofore the step of stitching the sock lining has not been interrupted to leave an opening for the insertion of a molded counter,nor has a molded counter been inserted with its flange flush with the U shaped marginal edge of an unlasted upper and then secured in place.

In my co-pending application Ser. No. 529,289, flled April 3, 1944, I have disclosed and claimed a process wherein 'the counter portion of the upper is out with a lasting allowance which is lasted inwardly about the heel seat.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail a preferred manner of practising it, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The process of making shoes of the platform type which consists in stitching the margin of an upper and a binding strip together and to the bargain of a sock lining throughout the shank and forepart or a shoe while leaving the upper and sock lininng unconnected throughout the heel'seat portion of the shoe, inserting a linedand molded counter stiflener within the upper, stitching the lining to the upper after the counter has been inserted, securing the heel seat portion of the sock lining in place, and then wrapping the binding strip about a sole piece located beneath the sock lining and thus securing the margin of the upper about the heel seat without lasting the upper inwardly.

2. A shoe of the platform type having an upper and a flanged counter, the upper having a U-shaped marginal edge at its rear portion which is disposed substantially flush with the flange of the molded counter, a counter lining cemented to the counter and stitched about the counter to the upper, a sock lining stitched to the upper in the shank of the shoe and separated from the upper about the heel seat, a binding strip stitched to the said U-shaped lower margin of the upper adjacent to the flange of the counter,

and a sole piece beneath the flange of the counter having its edge wrapped within the binding strip.

3. The process of making shoes which consists in stitching binding strips to the entire lower margin of an upper, stitching a sock lining to the margin of the upper only in advance of the heel seat, inserting a. molded counter through the opening left about the heel seat between the upper and the sock lining in-the bottom of the upper, then attaching it to the inside of the unlasted upper, inserting a tuck in the attached molded counter, laying the rear end of the sock lining above it, and wrapping the binding strip about the edge of a midsole in advance of the heel seat.

4. The process of making shoes which consists in stitching binding strips to the entire lower margin of an upper, stitching a. sock lining to the margin of the upper only in advance of the heel seat thus leaving an opening inside the rear portion of the upper, inserting a molded counter through said opening between the upper-and sock lining and disposing its flange flush with the marginal edge or the counter, then attaching the counter to the unlasted upper, and then wrapping the binding strip about a sole piece lying beneath the counter flange,

5. The process of making shoes which comprises the steps of stitching a binding strip about 

